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The Harvester World
31
energetic business men the money gathered from thou¬ sands of people, that it lost itself in the opportunities for making money and for expansion of business.
But within the memory of the youngest man here, there developed the thought that those corporations, as handlers of other people's money than the few who manage them, have a definite responsibility to all the people. Today, however, this amazing anomaly ex¬ hibits itself; Two of the greatest organizations in the United States, who have been the leaders in trying to do good to their employes, who have been in all respects the most liberal in the spending of money for their workingmen, are the two which are today under the fire of the so-called Christian Government of these United States,—The United States Steel Corporation and the Harvester Company. The two companies which have done the most along this great line are the two which are the subject of attack. " It seems strange, and almost too hard to believe. The very fact that that condition exists makes me stop and think, "Why is it so?" Immediately, on the other hand, we have to re¬ member, and you men who are experienced in handling laboring men appreciate the fact, that the labor organ¬ izations, as such, do not take much stock in this sort of work that you are doing. They assert it is a step to wheedle people's minds into the impression that you are doing something for nothing, when what you are really trying to do is to get something for a little. We know these things, and for that reason I think it must be admitted that we cannot look for much praise or much regard from the general public, or rather, the working public, whom we are trying to help, for some time to come.
Here is where the subject which has been given me enters into the text. The relation of welfare work to society is the relation of society to welfare work—it belongs the other way about. What do I meaji ? I mean that these people who have the most money and the most character, the people who are the leaders in society, must expect to be the leaders in this sort of work without thanks, and look for satisfaction in the results you hope and believe will appear by and by. You have encouragement enough when you stop and look back for a few years. The welfare work of yes¬ terday is the law of today and the welfare work of to¬ day will become the law of tomorrow. When we established the principle of paying men directly for damages received where we were not liable—and we were among the first to do it—we called that welfare work. Today that has come to be the law of several states. A few minutes ago it was stated to you that the improvements in sanitary conditions that we planned years ago are coming to be the law of the land. It is no longer welfare work. As letters from some of our foreign Works, read to us this morning, stated, in some foreign countries, where the subject has been more thought of than here, it is already the law to do things that we are now doing as welfare. You are simply doing what you nmst do as leaders of thought expressed in action, li this Company is a big, broad- minded company, as we believe it is, if we as the working forces of this Company have caught the spirit of the men at the head of the corporation and their high character, and are handing down to the organiza¬ tions in our care the spirit which they have tried to put into us, we must expect to do so and ask no thanks for doing it. We must expect to start these enterprises which we call benevolent work or welfare work and find many of them tomorrow nothing but legal responsibilities.
The fact is still a painful one, that we cannot expect from the working man appreciation that we should like to see him show, and I have been very much impressed in this connection with the thought which several of you gentlemen have brought out tonight, viz: That the greater need is perhaps not giving these things to the
HOBBIES OF GREAT BUSINESS MEN
Peter C. Coler, Chief Inspector of Machines at McCormick Works, as suggested by Lawler
men, so much as teaching the men how to use and appreciate the things which we are trying to bring to them.
The possibilities of our plans are not being fulfilled because some of our people do not appreciate them and know how to get the highest possibilities out of them. How can this situation be overcome? For several years, on occasions when I have had the oppor¬ tunity, I have made the remark that you could not do much with an old goat, but you could do a lot with a young kid. I am not saying a word against putting the shops in the finest kind of sanitary condition; if we are going to be far-sighted men we have to do those things; it is going to be the law and we shall have to do it. But what I am getting at is that the most productive welfare work that we can do and the work we ought to be doing more than we. are, is welfare work for the women and children of our working men. Every dollar wisely spent on a child or a woman who is a mother is, in my judgment, as good as five dollars spent any other way. I think that is a fundamental proposition. You cannot make a good man out of me when I am a hardened old sinner, but you can take my child and make something out of him and work done for him may react on me.
But there are things to be done for the working men beyond their comfort in the shop and the other good things we are now doing, work for the building up of their characters, and that is the kind of work we must come to. I believe that helping our men in the establishing of savings accounts is a splendid thing. I should like to see our superintendents circulating mat¬ ter among their men, urging them to thrift and economy; I should like to see a savings system estab¬ lished by the Company itself, if that could be done in a way to secure the confidence of the men. I believe in the shop schools which you are establishing as a fundamental proposition, because we are teaching the younger men not only how to handle tools, but, I hope.

Harvester World magazine was first published by International Harvester Company in October of 1909. From 1909 to 1946, Harvester World functioned primarily as an employee magazine, carrying news from various factories, branch houses and dealerships around the world. The magazine included biographical sketches of employees; notices of retirements and promotions; announcements regarding new company initiatives or building projects; and a variety of other news relating to nearly every facet of the company’s world wide operations. The magazine was published by the company’s Advertising Department, and also functioned as a way for headquarters to communicate with dealerships. In 1946, the magazine was redesigned and eventually shifted from an employee magazine to a more customer-oriented focus. By the 1950s, most Harvester Articles were human interest stories centering on the people and organizations who used International Harvester products. At the same time, photography became an increasingly important element in the content and presentation of the magazine. The magazine was discontinued in 1969.

The Harvester World
31
energetic business men the money gathered from thou¬ sands of people, that it lost itself in the opportunities for making money and for expansion of business.
But within the memory of the youngest man here, there developed the thought that those corporations, as handlers of other people's money than the few who manage them, have a definite responsibility to all the people. Today, however, this amazing anomaly ex¬ hibits itself; Two of the greatest organizations in the United States, who have been the leaders in trying to do good to their employes, who have been in all respects the most liberal in the spending of money for their workingmen, are the two which are today under the fire of the so-called Christian Government of these United States,—The United States Steel Corporation and the Harvester Company. The two companies which have done the most along this great line are the two which are the subject of attack. " It seems strange, and almost too hard to believe. The very fact that that condition exists makes me stop and think, "Why is it so?" Immediately, on the other hand, we have to re¬ member, and you men who are experienced in handling laboring men appreciate the fact, that the labor organ¬ izations, as such, do not take much stock in this sort of work that you are doing. They assert it is a step to wheedle people's minds into the impression that you are doing something for nothing, when what you are really trying to do is to get something for a little. We know these things, and for that reason I think it must be admitted that we cannot look for much praise or much regard from the general public, or rather, the working public, whom we are trying to help, for some time to come.
Here is where the subject which has been given me enters into the text. The relation of welfare work to society is the relation of society to welfare work—it belongs the other way about. What do I meaji ? I mean that these people who have the most money and the most character, the people who are the leaders in society, must expect to be the leaders in this sort of work without thanks, and look for satisfaction in the results you hope and believe will appear by and by. You have encouragement enough when you stop and look back for a few years. The welfare work of yes¬ terday is the law of today and the welfare work of to¬ day will become the law of tomorrow. When we established the principle of paying men directly for damages received where we were not liable—and we were among the first to do it—we called that welfare work. Today that has come to be the law of several states. A few minutes ago it was stated to you that the improvements in sanitary conditions that we planned years ago are coming to be the law of the land. It is no longer welfare work. As letters from some of our foreign Works, read to us this morning, stated, in some foreign countries, where the subject has been more thought of than here, it is already the law to do things that we are now doing as welfare. You are simply doing what you nmst do as leaders of thought expressed in action, li this Company is a big, broad- minded company, as we believe it is, if we as the working forces of this Company have caught the spirit of the men at the head of the corporation and their high character, and are handing down to the organiza¬ tions in our care the spirit which they have tried to put into us, we must expect to do so and ask no thanks for doing it. We must expect to start these enterprises which we call benevolent work or welfare work and find many of them tomorrow nothing but legal responsibilities.
The fact is still a painful one, that we cannot expect from the working man appreciation that we should like to see him show, and I have been very much impressed in this connection with the thought which several of you gentlemen have brought out tonight, viz: That the greater need is perhaps not giving these things to the
HOBBIES OF GREAT BUSINESS MEN
Peter C. Coler, Chief Inspector of Machines at McCormick Works, as suggested by Lawler
men, so much as teaching the men how to use and appreciate the things which we are trying to bring to them.
The possibilities of our plans are not being fulfilled because some of our people do not appreciate them and know how to get the highest possibilities out of them. How can this situation be overcome? For several years, on occasions when I have had the oppor¬ tunity, I have made the remark that you could not do much with an old goat, but you could do a lot with a young kid. I am not saying a word against putting the shops in the finest kind of sanitary condition; if we are going to be far-sighted men we have to do those things; it is going to be the law and we shall have to do it. But what I am getting at is that the most productive welfare work that we can do and the work we ought to be doing more than we. are, is welfare work for the women and children of our working men. Every dollar wisely spent on a child or a woman who is a mother is, in my judgment, as good as five dollars spent any other way. I think that is a fundamental proposition. You cannot make a good man out of me when I am a hardened old sinner, but you can take my child and make something out of him and work done for him may react on me.
But there are things to be done for the working men beyond their comfort in the shop and the other good things we are now doing, work for the building up of their characters, and that is the kind of work we must come to. I believe that helping our men in the establishing of savings accounts is a splendid thing. I should like to see our superintendents circulating mat¬ ter among their men, urging them to thrift and economy; I should like to see a savings system estab¬ lished by the Company itself, if that could be done in a way to secure the confidence of the men. I believe in the shop schools which you are establishing as a fundamental proposition, because we are teaching the younger men not only how to handle tools, but, I hope.